


Mad Hatter's & March Hare's TEA Party 2.0

by queen0f_hearts



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Gen, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8979385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen0f_hearts/pseuds/queen0f_hearts
Summary: This is a PH Secret Santa gift for a person at  tumblr~ He wished for a Break/Reim fic, canon or not. So, here it is!Setting:It's night. Two days have passed since the happenings in Gale on Oz's coming-of-age ceremony in Yura's mansion. Finally Reim finds a moment to get some rest but soon Break joins him, to destroy the silence, accompanied by a bottle of Gin...





	

He inhaled deeply, starring at the ceiling. Actually, he should sleep, at least trying to get some rest. Thinking about it, he was unsure how much time had passed since last time he'd been able to close his eyes. More than 48 hours. For sure.

Still, he couldn't really comprehend what had happened. Still, that expression of barely bearable sadness and disbelief in Gilbert’s face, the tears in lord Oz’s eyes and the screams of that one servant of the Nightrays were all too present in his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, he again saw the fire, smelt the smoke. Honestly, he was no person for fighting. No, he preferred to do what others called boring: paperwork. 

Since they had returned from Gale, almost each member of Pandora had been busy because of the happenings. Him as well. There were way too many reports he'd written in the last hours and there still were quite a few waiting to be written, checked and signed. The higher ups expected the official work to be done and completed as soon as possible. People already were talking. This was why he'd hurried to do his job. But even he needed a tiny break from time to time. With each hour passing by, concentrating had become more and more difficult and eventually he had had to give in to the tiredness. A few hours of rest surely would help to blank his mind. 

Reim inhaled once again and reached up, to rub his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy but his mind was unwilling to rest. 

That girl returned to his consciousness. Such a cute little girl working for the Baskervilles. A part of him felt sorry for shooting her. Lily. In another world, in another time he would have wished for her to live the happy life of a young and innocent lady. But who was he to decide on that? Besides, Lily hadn't appeared to be all too unhappy with herself. She'd smiled and laughed like every kid should do. Maybe he should have taken her out of there. Maybe she just needed someone _good_ to look after her. 

Reim shook his head. Why was it so hard to stop thinking? He sighed and rolled onto his side, glancing outside the window and at the cloudy, rainy sky. It seemed darker than usual, though perhaps it was just his perception. Or was it his mood that was cloudy? All of the time of working hard he'd been able to push those thoughts aside, but now that he was all alone and surrounded by nothing but silence, there was no way to avoid it any longer. No denial possible. This world they lived in appeared so lost and dark, as if there was no light and all of their attempts were destined to fail, no possibility to escape the pain and despair awaiting them all. Should they just give in and stop? What was the sense of fighting in a world without hope? In the end they would lose everything. 

_Creeeaaaak…_

Someone opened the door. Startled by the sound, Reim flinched the slightest. But hearing a familiar sound made him relax immediately. 

“Hey ho, Reiiiim~”, Break almost sang when peeking inside the room, “are you asleep?” 

Reim sat up and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. “No, I'm still awake. Is there a certain intention for you coming here?”, he asked quite matter-of-factly. 

“Oh, do I need a reason to say hello to my friend?”, Break pouted playfully while he entered the room. “Well, actually it's more a _good night_ than a _hello_.” He hopped onto the edge of the bed. “Look, I even brought a gift”, he added, bringing out a bottle which had been hidden under his long sleeve. 

Reim positioned the glasses on his nose and leant closer to read the bottle’s etiquette. “Gin?” His eyes wandered up to look at the other’s face. “What both of us need is rest and sleep to clear our minds. No alcohol.” He sounded like a scolding father, unintentionally. 

“There's nothing more efficient to get rid of unnecessary thoughts than a good hang-over”, Break replied and his tone told, he meant it. 

Reim sighed, not convinced in the least. Nonetheless, he silently watched his old friend bringing out two liqueur glasses from under his sleeve, not even wondering for a split second what else Break might be hiding, and pouring some of the liquid in each glass. 

“Cheers to us. To all that we missed. To the biggest mistakes. To all the times that we messed up. Because the last few days have gone too fast.” Break grinned a smile which Reim couldn't read. “So, just let’s give them hell!”, he lifted his glass, waiting for Reim to do the same. 

“Tsss, this is ridiculous”, he silently hissed to himself, having no sense for such waste of time. They would just end up drunk and this would cause them to be unproductive, something he seriously loathed with passion. He always had been someone to do things, to work fast and efficiently, reasonable and responsible. Despite of everything he clang glasses with Break - maybe because he right now needed such distraction. “Let's give them hell”, he repeated the other’s words and swallowed the entire content of his glass at once, shaking off the strong taste. Break emptied his glass as well and already busied himself by refilling them. 

Reim frowned. “So you're plan is to make me drunk?”, he asked. 

“You won't get drunk that fast. I know you well enough. You're not Raven after all”, Break snickered, remembering how he once had drank some Gin with Gilbert who'd been a real mess and out of sorts after returning from the Nightray manor where he most probably had met Vincent. It only had taken him two glasses of that magical liqueur to make Gilbert a crybaby who would answer each of your questions, no matter how intimidate. Reim had been the one who walked by and saved helpless Gilbert from further interrogation. 

“No, I'm not him. But you still are… well, **you** ”, Reim replied bluntly, sipping at his glass. 

The albino began to laugh amused. “Such wise words! I'm sure, duke Clownhead would be impressed hearing you be so philosophical!” 

“Have same respect, Break. His name is duke Barma, he's literate, wise and intelligent. He does not deserve to be called like that”, Reim scolded his friend, not liking the way the other talked about Rufus Barma. Reim himself held him in highest respect, as he worked for him and therefore kind of knew about the duke’s capabilities. 

“No need for a declaration of love. I'm not drunk enough yet, to cope with such”, Break growled, looking at the brown haired man who found himself wondering whether his friend might be angry with him. His gaze wasn't as light as it usually was, though there still was a smile on Break’s face. 

“Don't be childish. I simply respect him exactly the way he deserves it.” Reim decided not to pay too much attention to Break’s mockery and nipped at his glass. 

“Is this why he knew?”, the other asked bluntly and his expression became stonier than before. 

Reim blinked his eyes, not understanding. “Aside of the fact that I doubt there's anything he doesn't know, I must declare, I have no idea what you're talking about, Break.” He emptied his glass before he continued. “Seriously, you're talking in mysteries. This entire conversation and situation is more of a mystery to me since I don't see the sense of this.” Actually, he wondered whether the albino was trying to tell him anything, or did he simply demand attention, or search for distraction. The only thing, Reim was sure about, is his friend seemed odder than usually. 

Break hissed slightly. “Oh, I can tell you what I’m talking about. He knew about your contractor’s special ability.” 

Now Reim truly was confused. “Of course he knew. Is there a problem about it? He's duke Barma who I'm working for. There's nothing about me he isn't aware of, though I doubt there's anything really interesting or extraordinary about me.” He reached up to adjust the position of his glasses on his nose. 

“I don't care that clown knew! But I care that you didn't care to tell anyone else!” Break’s voice unintentionally had gotten louder. Clenching his fist which held the glass, he brought it to his lips, swallowing the content, refilling it and repeating the process another time. 

Maybe Reim was too overworked and tired to directly understand. “Whom should I have told? …” He watched his friend refilling their glasses when suddenly realization hit him. **”Oooooh”** , he just said before emptying his glass in one gulp. 

Break narrowed his eyebrows, obviously waiting for some other kind of reaction. He let his legs dangle in a playful manner, though Reim couldn't tell where this suddenly might come from. Actually he didn't understand at all. Was the albino angry with him that he hadn't told him? It surprised him when Break even chuckled lightly. “Haha, don't think too much about it. It's nothing of importance. Perhaps, I just misjudged it”, he said in a soft tone, a smile on his lips. 

This was even more confusing. Reim blinked his hazelnut brown eyes. “Misjudge? What did you misjudge?” Now it was him to become angry. He impulsively moved closer to the other, to grasp his upper arm. With determination he spoke, whilst slightly pulling at his arm to underline his words. “You're wrong, Break! The reason why I didn't tell you, is not that I wish to have secrets!” 

Break shrugged his shoulders and slowly pulled his arms free. “It's not like you need to explain yourself”, he lied. “You don't owe me anything.” 

Reim hissed as he retrieved his hand. “We both know pretty good, you're lying right now.” He took in a very deep breath to recompose his mind, but somehow keeping his thoughts in order was a hard challenge right now. Damn it, he knew, drinking alcohol, especially when he's tired like that, was a bad idea. “If you're angry, don't hold back and tell me. I can comprehend, you've been worried about me. It's a normal reaction for any human being, especially when there's some personal relatio-” 

“Stop that damn monologue! You can comprehend?! You can understand?! What?! You don't know anything!” Break had cut in, to finally express his thoughts and feelings. “I thought you're dead! **Dead!** Don't you see?! I thought I would never be able to talk to you again! I was so damn worried! I was afraid! **Me!** Until then, I didn't even know how it feels to be afraid! I already imagined the worst! And I felt lost and had no idea how to cope with it, if the worst got real! You seriously have no clue how this feels!” He paused and perplex Reim saw his friend shakily breathing while his shoulders trembled. “When I was taken in by miss Shelly, I had no will, no purpose and intention to continue living. I had failed on my only task, to protect the Sinclairs. Therefore, I didn't see any reason to live. Miss Shelly tried her best to motivate me and and…. when miss Sharon began to cheer on me and you started lecturing me despite of your young age back then…, I felt better. But…. damn it, when I feared, you're dead, I realized, I'm not able to bear such pain once again! I can't, I really can't even bear the pure thought of you being dead!” 

Reim’s eyes widened when those meaningful words hit him. It was unusual for his friend to honestly talk about his feelings. And the taller one valued it. Watching Break shiver and overwhelmed by his feelings, Reim put on a soft smile and he gently placed his hand on the albino’s one. “Thanks for expressing your mind.” Five short words which were filled by appreciation and esteem. He didn't say anything else. It wasn't necessary to say more. 

The other one turned his face away. Though he was blind, he acted like wishing to avoid their gazes to meet. Reim even surmised there was a light blush on his face. But since the illumination was poor, he couldn't tell for sure. 

“I demand to be the first one of us to die”, Break muttered next and kind of unexpected. At first Reim was surprised to hear such a clamor but then he began to laugh in kind and friendly amusement. 

Break was surprised and blinked his eyes out of old habit, turning back to his laughing friend. “What's so funny about it? I'm the oldest one of us, I have a right to express such a demand”, the albino added. 

The smile on Reim’s face widened and softened at the same moment and his tone became more serious. “I'm sorry for making you worry. Be assured, I won't just die that easily. I know, I'm more of a desktop worker than of a fighter but I always was very well aware of what I'm doing in Yura’s mansion that night. There's really no need to worry.” He meant to reassure the other but there was something else he meant to say. “Nonetheless, I appreciate your honesty, Break.” It was rare for Break to express his feelings, to be open to others in general. But he truly liked that side of him and he wished for him to open up even more. 

For a moment it was silent while Reim finished snickering to himself. When the albino was sure, some serenity had filled the atmosphere, his lips formed a smirk as he leant a little bit closer to his friend. “Honesty? It's true, I was worried about you since I still need you to write my reports”, he breathed in a silent tone. 

Reim caught his breath and bit his lip. A part of him felt like laughing because he knew this wasn't the only reason. Besides, Break himself had confessed his real argumentation just a few seconds ago. But something held him back from contradicting or lecturing him. He couldn't tell what it was, though. 

While silence hang in the air like a dark, heavy and rainy cloud, the man with the hazelnut brown hair wished for it to pass by. It felt strange to him and an uncomfortable feeling spread in his chest. It felt heavy, like the cloud of silence. Unsure what to do, Reim turned his head, looking outside the window, the same way as he'd done when he was alone. 

Break frowned, then crossed his legs and playfully placed his hands on his knee, folded. Another smile played on his lips. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“About what?”, Reim looked back at his friend, having noticed the change in his position and attitude. Nonetheless, he didn't understand what he talked about. As usually the albino was hard to read. Though he thought, he'd found some kind of manner to comprehend him, most of what he did, still was a mystery to him. 

“Well, you've died. I kind of know how this feels and especially what it does to your mind. As I'm not a person who doesn't spend too many thoughts on my actions, I didn't feel burdened after being dragged into the Abyss. I guess, it's no surprise since I've been…. _busied_ by my plans on turning back the time.” Break leant forward, with his now tilted head side-glancing at the other. “But you practically consider and reconsider everything in each second of your life. I doubt, you don't feel distressed by the fact that you died. Since we returned from Gale, you've been working the entire time, but here and now is your first moment in privacy, giving your mind a chance to settle down and realize what actually happened to you. I know you well enough, to know what's going through your head right now.” 

What a clear detective spirit he has! 

Reim took in a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest as if hugging himself. “Am I that easy to read?”, he asked shortly. Now that it had been spoken out loudly, he felt a bit lighter on his heart. He had tried his hardest to avoid thinking about it, had refused to confess it but since returning there were this heavy stone on his heart and that lump in his throat. By now he felt it all so very noticeable and he realized how deep his shoulders hung, how low he held his head, how pathetical he must appear. “It's not a huge deal, actually… I mean…, I always had been aware of March Hare’s ability. But indeed and seriously experiencing it, still is something else. Something I didn't expect.” He snickered bitterly to himself. “Well, what did I even expect? Dying is dying. Nothing more and nothing less.” 

Break had listened to the entire confession. Of course, he couldn't see how his friend looked. But he knew him well enough to be able to imagine it. Hearing Reim’s tone and how he moved, told the albino more than enough about his true condition. And it made him worry. To his mind, Reim was no one to bear heavy burdens. He didn't know how much he underestimated him. 

“I think, this is the worst description you've ever used. _Dying is dying._ ” Break obviously had decided to use one of his favorite ways to help his friend learn this lesson. He giggled. 

In response Reim narrowed his eyebrows, thinking about it. “Of course, dying is not just dying. I did mean it differently and you are pretty aware of this!”, he beefed slightly, as he was in no mood for any of Break’s entertainment games. 

“Am I?”, the blind man schemed, refilling his glass as he noticed he hadn't drunk anything for a while. Innocently he sipped at it. 

The other man simply hissed. “Tssss.” He turned his head away, this time in annoyance. Nonetheless, he took his glass in which Break had poured some of the Gin and emptied it quickly. 

For a while no one of them said a word. Reim only stared out of the window, maybe still annoyed by his friend’s words, while said friend enjoyed the taste of the lollipop which he had found in the inside of his sleeve. 

… 

“How were you able to cope with it? Dying, I mean.” All of the sudden Reim broke the silence, glancing at the albino and lifting his hand to motion him to refill his glass. 

Break took the bottle, opened it and poured some of its content into both glasses, hearing him mutter a _thanks_. “Hm”, pretending to think about his reply, he didn't answer immediately. “Do you think, I’m the ideal one to ask for such advice?” 

The reply came after downing the liquid in his glass. “I don't know. But you're here and asked about my feelings. Also…, I consider us _close_ enough to prefer asking you. Apart from the fact that you as well have experienced dying.” 

“ **Close?** ” Break chuckled, wiping back and forth in a playful manner. 

Reim rolled his eyes. “ _Close_ like friends are close. I have no idea what you think, this might mean.” 

“So you consider me as your friend? That's amusing. I could be your grandpa.” Now Break seriously got into top gear. 

Reaching up to rub his forehead, the younger man sighed. “I feel more like I'm your father, considering how often I have to lecture you. And you never listen…” 

“Hm…, what did you just say?”, Break asked innocently. “I've been counting our age difference, so I wasn't listening to you. Sorry.” It didn't sound like an apology at all. 

Another sigh escaped Reim’s lips but he slightly waved his hand. “Ah, it’s nothing of importance. Just forget about it.” 

“Sure. Already forgotten.” The albino took the glasses and poured more Gin into them. “I've been told, you've flirted with a young lady?~” 

“ **Flirt?!** ” Reim’s face reddened within seconds. “Lily wasn't even adult nor had she officially been introduced to society… well thinking about it, I doubt, the Baskervilles hold a coming-of-age ceremony… She seemed to see me as a friend to play with. That's it.” 

This was enough for Break. He bursted into laughter. “You have a lot of friends!”, he managed to express between his laughters. 

He could have reacted otherwise, but for various reasons Reim as well began to laugh. “Yeah, I guess, in contrast to a certain albino I'm more sociable. You see, it's a huge advantage not to make yourself a not understandable mystery.” 

The named albino refilled their glasses. “To the Baskervilles you're more of a mystery than I am. They simply need to see me and are aware of my capability. But they didn't know anything about you, especially not about your chain’s ability. So who's the huger mystery here?” 

“Well, they have no right to complain since **nobody** knew about my chain’s power”, Reim responded wisely, sipping at his alcohol. 

“That's right! If even I'm not allowed to complain, why should they be?! After all, you _consider us as **close**_ ”, Break nodded, agreeing with the other who cleared his throat. 

“However. As said, I didn't flirt with Lily, not at all. I wasn't even sure how to deal with her. Kids. You know, I'm not that good with them. They are so irrational. Also, I didn't expect ever to get in any situation which causes me to have to deal with a kid. Or worse, having a kid on my own. I can't even imagine, having a girlfriend or marrying. So, how would I be able to imagine me having a child?” 

Break bursted into laughter. “The girl who falls for you must be seriously insane! Which woman would want a man who doesn't know anything but work? Maybe someone with a father complex, since you surely would lecture her all of the time. What a pain.” 

“As if everything I do, is pointing out mistakes! Besides, I was more talking about myself as I can't imagine me loving a girl”, the older one admitted, inspecting his glass. Why was it empty? 

“I think this is an opinion we share”, Break said and refilled Reim’s glass. “We both will end as old singles who complain about how indecent youth has become…” 

Reim nodded. “...and whilst complaining, we’ll empty another bottle of Gin.” And again his glass was empty and got refilled. “I just hope for miss Sharon not to stay a single like us. She’ll become someone wonderful, of high importance and high value for society.” 

Break leant back, stretching his body a bit. “Hm. No matter how much I think about it, I can't come up with a man who'd be worth becoming her husband…” 

“Neither can I.” 

“Whoever it'll be, he will have get my permission to socialize with her”, Break added and this time it was Reim who laughed amused. 

“Do you seriously think, she needs **your** permission for anything? Miss Sharon can deal with inappropriate men on her own. I already told you, she's stronger than you think.” 

“I know”, the albino spoke, his head turned up to the ceiling as if looking at it in thought. 

“You know?”, Reim asked, obviously surprised. 

Break turned to his friend. “I told her about my blindness. On the ball in Gale.” Short sentences, but those were enough for Reim’s eyes to grow wide. For once Break seemed to have listened to his advice! 

“H- how did she react?” 

“At first she seemed shocked. But only for a short moment. Then I realized how much she'd grown since first encounter, how much stronger and more determined she'd become. I was impressed but also, it made me feel happy and relieved, not to have to keep secrets from her.” 

“There's no need to protect her anymore. She's become adult”, Reim concluded. 

“Yeaaahhhh, I felt so old, realizing how much time has passed”, Break cried out theatrically. 

The other one patted his shoulder. “Oh my poor, dear old grandpa….”, he snickered. “I feel sorry for you!” 

“Oh, luckily I have an idea how you could help me feeling less terrible.” The albino pulled a few papers out of his sleeve. “You could write my report about what happened in Gale…~” 

To be honest, Reim wasn't surprised at all. He took the papers, flipping through them. “When is it supposed to be handed in?”, he asked casually. 

“Yesterday”, the other grinned. 

“Well, there's no helping it. Luckily, I'm on high spirits. Let's fill these out right here and right now.” Eagerly, he pulled out a pen from the drawer of the bedside table and together they began to write the report, Break telling what to write, Reim writing it down. While doing so, they emptied the bottle of Gin and found a lot entertainment in various kinds of activities.

* * *

The said report had to be rewritten the next day, since its content wasn't usable and those tiny drawings were too indecent to show them around. Reim shook his head, while rewriting it, hoping duke Barma never would see the report from last night, or hear about its happenings.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Cushfuddled, 
> 
> to be honest with you, I'm not a big Reim and Break fan. Of all four dukedoms, I like the Rainsworthes the least. Sorry for that...^^' But researching for this fic caused me to understand them better, especially to comprehend their triangle friendship.  
> Nonetheless, I decided to make this fic canon. Anything else simply wasn't possible for me since it felt forced otherwise. But I hope you do like the outcome:3
> 
> I wish you a very merry Christmas Eve and a wonderful new year 2017!!


End file.
